My research was based on the applications of bacteriophages and how they work. Throughout my research, I realized just how serviceable bacteriophages could be to some extreme problems plaguing doctors and biologists globally. Some of the main areas that stuck out to me where their applications as a new type of phage-based antibiotic, that would be able to replace the antibiotics we are using today. Another use that I found throughout my research is its viability as a delivery vector for nanomedicines. The final most essential things that I found it would be able to do is eradicate water-borne bacteria.
My first question when I started researching was what a bacteriophage is? The answer that I came up with was that it was the bacterial equivalent of a virus. It infects bacteria in four stages. In the first stage, it hooks onto bacteria. In the second stage, the phage injects its genetic material. The third stage consists of the bacteria producing more phages inside of itself until the final stage when the bacteria lyse, and the new phages move onto their victims. This process is so efficient because it means that the bacteriophages replicate at an exponential rate.
Synthetic Biologist are interested in phages for many reasons one of the main ones being that they can be used to develop a revolutionary new type of phage-based antibiotics. Phages are revolutionary in this field because they only effect a designated strain of bacteria and none else. The means that instead of using traditional antibiotics such as penicillin which are metaphorical nukes you can use a new phage-based medicine that targets and kills only specific bacteria which makes this the metaphorical seal team that you send in when you need something done with precision. Not only this but phages have the ability to evolve like all living beings which mean's that they can evolve to overcome the defenses that bacteria build against it, unlike their non-living counterparts. The second reason that is being researched by synthetic biologists is the application of phages nanomedicine. Phages are useful in nanomedicine because they can be used to deliver the medicine due to their size and mechanism of action. Phages are being used because they are extremely specific meaning that they can be used to target specific cells such as cancer cells without unwanted effects like the ones produced by current anti-cancer drugs. The final and most rudimentary use of phages that I chose to research where the use of phages in the eradication of water-borne illness which would be invaluable to third world countries plagued by many water based bacterium such as cholera, Clostridium botulinum, and Salmonella typhi. If we engineered a phage that could target and kill this bacterium, we would be able to drop it into wells to eradicate the bacterium and make the water safer to drink.
In conclusion, there are many uses for bacteriophages, and I researched some of the ones that I found the most interesting which was the application of bacteriophages to nanomedicine, the development of revolutionary targeted phage-based antibiotics and their applications in third world countries to make the drinking water safer. I can't wait to see what advancements are made in this field in the next couple years because I believe that It could help eradicate certain illnesses in third world countries and revolutionize medicine in first world countries.
Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JG7cTp-M8VslVxtT-PSxearobVxda3sDcmZhWHaOzmQ/edit?usp=sharing
Summary of presentation:
My research was based on the applications of bacteriophages and how they work. Throughout my research, I realized just how serviceable bacteriophages could be to some extreme problems plaguing doctors and biologists globally. Some of the main areas that stuck out to me where their applications as a new type of phage-based antibiotic, that would be able to replace the antibiotics we are using today. Another use that I found throughout my research is its viability as a delivery vector for nanomedicines. The final most essential things that I found it would be able to do is eradicate water-borne bacteria.
My first question when I started researching was what a bacteriophage is? The answer that I came up with was that it was the bacterial equivalent of a virus. It infects bacteria in four stages. In the first stage, it hooks onto bacteria. In the second stage, the phage injects its genetic material. The third stage consists of the bacteria producing more phages inside of itself until the final stage when the bacteria lyse, and the new phages move onto their victims. This process is so efficient because it means that the bacteriophages replicate at an exponential rate.
Synthetic Biologist are interested in phages for many reasons one of the main ones being that they can be used to develop a revolutionary new type of phage-based antibiotics. Phages are revolutionary in this field because they only effect a designated strain of bacteria and none else. The means that instead of using traditional antibiotics such as penicillin which are metaphorical nukes you can use a new phage-based medicine that targets and kills only specific bacteria which makes this the metaphorical seal team that you send in when you need something done with precision. Not only this but phages have the ability to evolve like all living beings which mean's that they can evolve to overcome the defenses that bacteria build against it, unlike their non-living counterparts. The second reason that is being researched by synthetic biologists is the application of phages nanomedicine. Phages are useful in nanomedicine because they can be used to deliver the medicine due to their size and mechanism of action. Phages are being used because they are extremely specific meaning that they can be used to target specific cells such as cancer cells without unwanted effects like the ones produced by current anti-cancer drugs. The final and most rudimentary use of phages that I chose to research where the use of phages in the eradication of water-borne illness which would be invaluable to third world countries plagued by many water based bacterium such as cholera, Clostridium botulinum, and Salmonella typhi. If we engineered a phage that could target and kill this bacterium, we would be able to drop it into wells to eradicate the bacterium and make the water safer to drink.
In conclusion, there are many uses for bacteriophages, and I researched some of the ones that I found the most interesting which was the application of bacteriophages to nanomedicine, the development of revolutionary targeted phage-based antibiotics and their applications in third world countries to make the drinking water safer. I can't wait to see what advancements are made in this field in the next couple years because I believe that It could help eradicate certain illnesses in third world countries and revolutionize medicine in first world countries.